The £20K to winner PGR Champion Stakes got underway at Romford on Friday night and quickest on the clock was the Mark Wallis trained Antigua Sugar with a 34.87 short head win over a jealous Sporting Chile.
Imperial Kennels will also fancy their chances of another PGR £20K pay out after Hopes Paddington picked up a Kent Derby trialstake win at Central Park on Sunday. Absolutely top class pace from halfway.
At Oxford, Fromposttopillar went to traps for the fourth race of his career and became the second fastest hound to tackle the Oxford 450 metre trip with a 26.93 run.
Patrick Janssens picked up three of the 12 Oaks heat wins at Perry Barr but it was Slick Sakina who owns bragging rights after a 28.17 (-10) run. It was her first since win since landing an unraced bitch stake at Newbridge in March where she beat Coppice Josie (winner of Oaks heat four) in the final.
Sunday’s top card featured the first round of the Hunt Cup at Towcester where all four heats were competitive. They included three Regency finalists. Call Me Steve (3rd at Hove) and Chelms Cub (4th) were in the same heat with John Mullins’ runner winning in 43.67. But it was Regency fifth Baggios Champ who produced the run of the round with a 43.63 run.
Later that evening and the last selection of the week, the fast but frustrating Lemming Extra reminded punters that when she gets it right she isn’t lacking gears. As the second leg of an 18-1 Weatherall double, Extra clocked the fastest 682m run of the year to date.
The first name on the list this week was Stuie Tighe’s Sporting Yankie who made it 2:2 UK wins when following up his A2 Newcastle debut with a 29.86 puppy open win at Nottingham on Monday.
Back at Brough, Conna Bucko’s 28.53 was the quickest 480 of the week. But it was achieved in A2 company on +10 going. So we’ll edge it to the veteran Skywalker Bonnie who saw off an A1 field in 28.62 (-10).
Until the penultimate race of the week, Bernabia’s 27.37 looked like being the top run at Sunderland this week. Then out popped Shirley Linley’s pup Never Mind Me with a 27.19 debut on Sunday. Completing the North East trio is Pelaw and a fabulous A1 featuring the defending the defending POW Hurleys Spring and the FOY performer Inniskeel Josie. But both were turned over by Bellmore Chief, the fourth win in his last six A1s.
The highlight of the Yorkshire week was Brookside Richie’s most recent dominating performance in the Bresbet Steel City Cup. Two spots quicker at the sectional, he lopped a similar time off last week’s heat win. Staying in God’s own county, most of the Doncaster big names were away on open race duty this week leading to a different looking A1. So it was Ballymac Bake, well down the field behind Ballymac Rocker last week, who took full advantage to win his first top heat. Kinsley’s Monadreen Joy came within half a length of retaining his belt. But the 25 kilo Ballytadgh Best nabbed him on the line in Sunday’s A2. (The last time Kinsley staged an A1 John Curran was the village conker champion).
Corrin Logan’s five racing winning streak was ended when he led and was caught on the line at Harlow on Wednesday. However, despite a fine win by Jura Go Max (26.62), that time was bettered on the night by Danny Brabon’s Faithful Vinnie with a 26.33 (-20) run. That’s five from eight over c&d.
Meanwhile Paper Straw, who had 25.96 winning form at Harlow 18 months ago, celebrated his 104th race by seeing off an A1 field at Suffolk Downs.
Ricky Holloway’s ex Crayford A3/Romford A5 winner Tober Sydney was six spots quicker than Havana Robusto’s previous quickest time for the Crayford six bend course when landing an open on Saturday lunchtime.
Hove staged a number of A1s as usual, though only one winner could have been described as producing a genuine open race performance. That was Global Vision with an impressive 29.30 run.
Monmore’s Longacres Storm could probably be described as a ‘slow burner’. The lightweight brindle qualified into A4 in January and finally won an A3 at the ninth attempt, but did so in some style with the fastest 480 of the week.
While we normally concentrate on sub 28.00 runs at Yarmouth, this is a week to acknowledge Yarmouth’s fabulous locally bred sprinter, Quagos Jack. Until Wednesday, Kevin Quinton’s runner jointly held the fastest time this year for the 277m trip with litter sister Quagos Peggy (16.17). It is now his own courtesy of a 16.05 run, just three spots outside the track record held by their sire, Kilmore Lemon.
Finally, if we were asked to select a ‘Grader of the Year’ for 2022, we’d find it hard to look past Les Of Rhyl. Having been too hot to grade last week, Pete Henman’s blue returned on Saturday to complete a four-timer, beating his own FOY with a 27.22 run.
